


Here Lie Our Lazy Dreams

by Immortal_With_A_Kiss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Summer of 1899, Young Albus Dumbledore, Young Gellert Grindelwald
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 18:38:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20140129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Immortal_With_A_Kiss/pseuds/Immortal_With_A_Kiss
Summary: It's the end of the summer of 1899 and Gellert wants to leave Godrick's Hollow with Albus, Aberforth wants the complete opposite.Aka: My version of the duel at the end of the summer of 1899





	Here Lie Our Lazy Dreams

“Albus.” Gellert pleaded. “Come away with me.”

“You know I can’t.” Albus said, not being able to meet his gaze.

“Albus, please.” 

Albus sighed, his eyes flickering back to Gellert’s.

“Why is it so important we leave now? In just two more years, Aberforth will graduate and he can make his choice about Ariana.” He said, repeating the worn excuses that made Gellert’s temper run thinner and thinner the more he heard them.

“Because this place is sucking the life out of you!” Gellert shouted. “And I won’t watch that happen.” He turned Albus’s face towards him, not allowing Albus to look anywhere but him. “We were meant to do this. Don’t let yourself be shackled here any longer, it’d kill you and it’d kill me to watch it.”

Albus’s breath hitched as he leaned into Gellert’s touch and it was obvious he was giving in.

“I knew it!” A voice came from behind them. 

Gellert didn’t move away from Albus but he turned to look at the boy standing in the doorway.

“Aberforth…”

“No!” He cut off his brother. “Give it up Albus. You can’t just leave me and Ariana to selfishly go chasing fairytales with _him_.” The way he emphasized “him” made Gellert scowl.

“They’re not a fairytale.” Albus said flatly. “We will find them and we will become the Masters of Death.”

“And what about Ariana? When you’re off giving fancy speeches, what happens to our sister, Albus?” Aberforth yelled and Gellert’s hand itched towards his wand.

“We’ll take her with us.” Gellert said, biting back a smile at the grateful look in Albus’s eyes.

“You can’t take her with you!” Aberforth’s eyes were filled with undisguised rage and disgust.

“Why not?” Somehow his look turned even more contemptuous at Gellert’s careless words.

“She’s unstable, she can’t be moved and if the ministry finds out she’ll be sent away forever.” Aberforth was like a little boy clinging onto his mother’s skirt, not wanting the world to change. Even though it wasn’t a world worth clinging to in the first place.

“You stupid little boy, don’t you understand? It won’t matter once we change the world, she won’t have to hide. She’ll be free.” Gellert said. “Why do you seek to chain your siblings? Are you that desperately lonely? Or are you just stupid?”

“Your plans are madness!” Aberforth spat. “Albus, you don’t believe this madman, do you?”

Albus looked conflicted and Gellert slipped his hand into Albus’s, making him turn to him. “Gellert is not a madman.” He said quietly and Gellert couldn’t quite hold back his smile.

“You’d choose _him_ over your own family?” Again that annoying emphasis of “him”.

“I’m choosing the better future, for all of us.” Albus glared at his brother.

“No, you’re being a selfish twat. Don’t think I don’t know about you two.” He had the gall to grimace as if revolted. “It’s damn unnatural it is.”

“Say that again, I dare you.” Gellert took a few steps towards him, letting go of Albus’s hand.

Aberforth pulled out his wand. “You’re a madman, Grindelwald, and you’ve corrupted my brother.”

His own wand was in his hand in an instant. 

“Crucio.” Though his voice was laced with fury, it came out as little more than a whisper.

Aberforth fell to the floor, writhing and screaming in pain as Gellert watched him impassively.

“Gellert, stop.” Albus said, reaching for Gellert. He didn’t even turn to look and simply twisted his wand a little as if turning up the dial on a radio. Aberforth’s screams intensified.

“Gellert please!” With almost reluctance, Gellert lowered his wand and turned to Albus who was looking at him with a mix of horror and fear. It made his heart sink to his stomach. That wasn’t a good look on Albus. Not at all. But he noticed the faintest glimmer of something else. Admiration.

A Knockback Jinx caught him before he could say anything and he slammed into the wall, breath knocked out of him though he managed to keep a hold on his wand. Standing, he pushed his hair out of his eyes and cast a silent Stinging Hex. Aberforth winced in pain before crying out “Stupify”. But Gellert was expecting it an the red light disintegrated into his shield.

He shot another hex at the shorter boy and the air erupted in streams of colored light as they started dueling in earnest. It was obvious from the way Aberforth started ducking behind the counter that he was completely outmatched. The boy’s angry shouts mixed in with the cacophony of smashing cups and splintering chairs that filled the air. Meanwhile, his opponent was almost eerily silent, not making a sound as he waved his wand with the grace of a dancer. The bright orange light of a Blasting Curse shot out of Gellert’s wand, easily piercing through the weak shield. Another light, this time a quick flash of blue hurtled towards Aberforth only to crash against a much stronger shield. Gellert shot an indignant look at Albus, scowling. Why had he shielded the brother that was trying to tear them apart? He launched another curse, this time a deep crimson, at Aberforth but it only contacted his brother’s shield.

“Gellert, Aberforth stop!” Albus shouted, coming to stand between them, unaffected by the wands pointed at him. A cold fury had replaced the usual sparkle in those brilliant blue eyes. One false move and Albus would be gone for good. So Gellert lowered his wand in a ‘I give up’ gesture. He had to. Albus was too important to lose.

He nodded, accepting the “surrender” and leveled his gaze at Aberforth, who was only glaring at Gellert. He mumbled the start of a hex and Gellert didn’t hesitate wandlessly casting Expulso.

The resulting explosion set Aberforth into the wall, sending his stream of violet light off course into the window frame. There was a sickening crack, but Gellert couldn’t turn to check if it was the window or the other boy’s skull. Instead, he quickly cast a shield to protect himself against the sickly yellow spell Albus had thrown at him. He got his answer, though, when another spell hit his shield, proving that Aberforth was indeed well enough to continue. Gellert shot out with a Body-Bind Curse, resuming the duel. As the cacophony grew louder, he could hear the blood pounding in his ears and the intoxicating adrenaline rush that came with every duel. The pact protested at every spell of Albus’s smashing into his shield, almost wailing as Gellert sent another spell at Aberforth. He couldn’t help noticing that Albus was casting more against him that his brother, scowling at the thought that Albus might chose that imbecile over him. In a rage, he sent a Stinging Hex at Albus and nearly gasped out in pain when the pact scorched his skin in retaliation. It destabilized his magic, some red hex sent by Aberforth shattering his shield and forcing him to duck behind the nearby couch. Sparing a glance at Albus, he could see it wasn’t only him. Both of their magics were wild and unstable, growing only more so as the pact burned him only more with the weight of its fury. Gellert fell to a knee but still managed to actually hit Aberforth with a Stunning Spell.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde hair and then the black tendrils of an obscurus. Gellert forced himself to his feet, wincing as the pact grew hotter. Their magic exploded in a flash of white light that swallowed everything, almost like a Patronus but far too harsh. His head contacted with a wall, leaving him momentarily stunned while the light swallowed the obscurus. The tendrils fought against it but it was obvious that it was no match for the combined power of their magic. There was a scream and everything went silent.

The light faded, allowing them view of the destroyed room and the blonde girl on the floor. Gellert stood shakily.

“Ari!” Aberforth shouted, running to his sister.

Albus stood as well.

Their eyes met, deep blue and mismatched grey and black both full of shock steadily giving way to sorrow. But Gellert was no fool, he knew that look would soon turn to anger. He fought to keep his own expression neutral as they both turned back to the blonde girl lying cradled in her other brother’s arms. Ariana, poor sweet Ariana who deserved so much more than what she got, poor sweet Ariana whom he might have called sister once upon a dream. Gone, for good. And with her went the sunlit days of lazy happiness, with her went the joyful smiles and overflowing laughter, with her went the perfect dream of a summer, with her went Albus.

Of course it would. This would never be forgiven, Godric’s Hollow was no longer his haven. He was no longer welcome here and he felt like a voyeur as he watched the brothers weep over their broken sister. And so he did the only thing he could, he turned his heel and left.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm Rei. This is my first time writing Grindeldore fic so I hope they were decently in character. I adore this pairing so I'll hopefully write more about them in the future. Thanks for reading, please comment your thoughts!
> 
> -Rei


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